Machine for cutting green corn from the cob



April 6 1926. 1,579,511

F. w. BURPEE momma FOR CUTTING GREEN com: FROM THE 0013 .Filed Feb. 14,1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w II H 1L:

Ewwi 1113310779613,

witness:

A ril 6,1926. I r 1,579,511

F. W. BURPEE MACHINE FOR CUTTING GREEN CORN FROM COB Filed Feb. 14, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I'Tanm Z1). Ijw'pocv,

Patented Apr. 6, 1926.

UNITED STATES v 1,579,511 PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK W. BUBPEE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO BUBPEE CAN SELLERGOI- PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOB CUTTIN G GREEN CORN FROM THE 003.

Application filed February 14, 1924. man No. 092,666.'

power for canning operations-in the home,

to provide in a machine of this character simplified and improved meansfor adjusting and adapting the machine to shave the corn more or lessclosely, as may be desired,

' from the cob; to provide a machine of the 1 adapted for domestic'use.

character specified of simple construction and comparatively few parts,thereby facilitating cleaning-and reducing the .liability of imperfectoperation throu 'h clogging and mming of the parts by andled; and,generally, to provide a'sime plified, improved and practical machineforthe purpose stated, of low cost and. especially ()ther objects andattendant advantages of the invention will be apparent to personsskilled in the art, as the same becomes'better understood by referenceto the following detailed description, taken in connection" with theaccompanyingdrawings in which I have illustrated one practical andefficient embodiment of the invention ar 1d'wl1erein--- Fig. 1 is a sideelevation of the machine;

on a table or'other supshown as mounted port; v

Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line 2 --2 of Fig. 1 v

Fig. 3 is a tofp plan view; I

h 4 is a ont elevation of the 'cutter the material imounted a pairof-p'arallel forwardl 'tendingv bars 26, on the forward en which bars isrigidly mounted astationary ring 27."; Referring more particularly toFig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, with ide-controlling rings on thestationand 37% rame rin of the cutter head.

efernng rst to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, 10

designates each of a pair of frame uprights or-posts connected at topandbottom by 'cross-bars 11 and 12, respectively, and

equi ped' at their lower en with clam s 13, y which the machine may be'readi y mounted on the edge of a table 14 or other convenient support.The upper frame crossbar 11 is formed with a hollow bearing'bos's' 15 inwhich is slidably mounted ajpu'sher.

rod or'bar 16 by which the ear of corn is forced endwise through thecutter head. .70

On the under side of the pusher bar 16 is a rack 17 engaged by a spurpinion 18 faston a shaft 19 journaled 1n bearin bosses 20 and 21 formedon the frame mem r 11. On the outer end of the shaft-19 is'a crank-arm22 and handle 23. The advance and of the. pusher bar 16 is formed with aspur or rong' 24 to pierce the butt end of the ear and support the sameas it is forced through the cutter head.

Describingnext the cutter head, in bosses 25 formed on the cross-bar 11are rigidly Figs to'7 inclusive, in the ring 27 are mounted'a group(herein shown. as three) of forwardly projecting studs 28. the'out ersides of which are milled down to provide bearing surfaces 29 (Figs. 5and 7 for the ripheries of a pair of rings 30 and 1111161 31, an lips 32overlap ing. the.- front face of the ring 31 and co ing both rings-30and 31 against the stationary or frame ring 27. The studs 28 are securedin the frame rin 27 by nuts 33. the removal of which one. lee the studsto be withdrawn and the rings 30 and 31 and parts carried thereby to bequickly disassembled from the frame rmg. v

- In the frame ring 27 are secured two series of forwardly projectingstuds 34 and 35, there being three in each series, as herein shown, withthe studs of the two series alternately arranged. On the studs 34 arepivotally. mounted a corresponding group of levers that lie in the planeof the intermediate ring 30, each of said levers comprising an inwardlyextending arm 36 having at its free end a laterally and outwardly bentand centering device, and short radially ex-- extension 37. thatconstitutes a cob-guiding tending arms 38 terminating in "teeth 39 (Fig.5). that are engaged with short internal gear or rack Sections 40 formedin the inner periphery of the ring .30. Also mounted on both the studs34 and 35 and lying in the plane of the foremost ring 31 are otherlevers -eacjh comprising a short inwardly extending arm 41 terminatingin a laterally and forwardly bent extension 42, and a radi allyextending arm 43 terminating in teeth 44 thatare engaged with shortinternalgearor rack sections 45 formed in the inner periphery of thering 31. To the projections 42 of this last group of levers are attachedby screws 46 a series of knife blades 47. that are grouped tangentiallyof the cob around the axis of the cutter head, at angles of- 60 to eachother in the instance shown. Since the studs 35 are not equipped withthe cobguidin and centering levers, said studs are forme or providedwith spacing washers 48 (Fig. 6) so as to bring the hubs of all theknife-supporting levers in the same plane.

. The intermediate and forward rings 30 and 31 are tied together as aunit by clamp screws 49 passing through slots 50 in the front rin 31 andthreaded into holes in the intermedlate ring 30, whereby, by looseningsaid screws, the said rings may be adjusted such a number thatadjacentblades of the I for a relatively to each other to a limited extenturpose hereinafter disclosed.

51 at one end to a pin 52 in the periphery of the fixed. frame ring 27and at its other end to a pin 53 in the periphery of either of the rings30, 31 (the'ring 30 as herein shown.)

Where, as inthe instance shown, the cutter knives .or blades 47 areemployed in group cross each other, it is, of course, necessary to setalternate blades a slight distance in advanceof the other blades, andthis arrangement of the blades is shown in Figs. 1 and 3. In such anarrangement the inner group of blades, of course, cut the corn slightlyin advance of the. outer group; and

this arrangement I have found to be advans tageous in effecting a cleanand thorough shaving of the'corn from the cob. It will also be observedby reference to Figs. 1, 6

Y and. 7 that the cutter blades 47 have their sharpened or cutting edgesdisposed obliquely, and not perpendicular, to the axis of the cob, sothat the kernels of corn are severed by an oblique or draw cut whichismore"efi'ective than a direct thrust at right .angles to the line ofmovement.

When the machine is empty, the knives and guides are at the extreme oftheir inward imovement under the pull of the spring 51 v 1 I 'vwh'ich',through the described operating connections to the knives and guides,manifestly swings them inwardly. Their inward moveesignates a pullspring that is anchored might be termed a close shave.

ment is limited by the studs 28 which act as stops for the outward swingof the knifecarrying lever arms 41. This manifestly limits the extent ofturning movement of the ring-31 under the pull of spring 51; and, sincethe intermediate ring 30 is fast with the ring 31, the studs 28 likewiselimit the extent of inward swing of the guide-supporting arms 36.

In the operation of the machine, the pusher bar 16 having beenretracted, the butt .of the cob is mounted on the spur 24,'a nd portingstuds 28 against the pull of the spring 51 which, of course, tends tourge the guides and knives into close contact with the cob. The forwardfeed of the cob being continued, the green kernels are shaved off anddrop into a suitable receptacle (not shown) beneath the cutter head. Thecob having been passed entirely through the cutter head, it is readilypulled off and discarded, the pusher bar is retracted by a few rapidbackward turns of the handle 23, and a new cob mounted thereon.

In preparing green corn for canning, or directly for the table, thetastes of different users differ somewhat as to the degree of closeness.with which the kernels should be refer what might and others what In theserved. Some persons p be called a light-shave present machine I haveprovided for this,

by making it'possible to adjust the relative positions of the guides andcutter blades to each other; this being done by simply loosening theclamp screws 49, turning thecutter-controlling ring 31 in one directionor the other relatively to the guide-controlling ring 30, and thenre-tightening thescrews 49. A clockwise adjustment of the'ring 31 inthis manner, viewing Fig. 4,-"will manifestly adjust the cutter arms 41away from the fixed stops 28, so that when the machine 51, lie closer tothe axis of the cutter head, and consequently will effect a closer shaveor cut on the cob. An adjustment of the ring 31 in the reverse directionwill manifestly have the reverse effect. Hence, when cutting corn fromcobs of substantially uniform size, the cutter head may be quicklyadjusted to give any desired degree of closeness of cut. This adjustablefeature is also an ad- Vantage as enabling the machine to handle isempty they will, under the pull of spring 120.

cobsof varying diameters and secure substantially of samecharacter ofcut in all.

pose.

their ends on said frame member, cutter n, W111 be observed that thecut-a1- head is entirely free from gearin with the exception of thesmall sectiona gears for swinging the guide and cutter actuating levers,and that in its operation neither the knives nor the cob itself isrotated. In thisrespect my machine differs from many corn-cuttingmachines, in some of which the knives are rotated around the cob toeffect a spiral cutting action, and mothers of which the cob itself isrotated on its axis to .the same pur- It will be seen that theoperatingparts are relatively few in number, and very easily and quicklydisassembled, when necessary, for cleaning.

I have herein shown and described one practical embodiment of theprinciple of the invention which in practice has been found bladesmounted on the inner arms of said .levers and dis osedtangentiallyaround the.

axis of said ramemember, a ring revolvably mounted on said frame member.and geared to the outer arms of said levers, and a spring anchored atmember and at its other end to said ring.

2. Ina machine of the character described,

the combination of a stationary annular flat ed coaxially on and incontact-with said frame member and on its inner periphery f other end tothe outer periphery .cfsaidj frame member, levers pivoted intermediatetheir ends on said frame. member, cutter blades mounted on the inner'arms of said vleversand disposed around the'axis of said frame member, afiat ring revolvably mountgeared to the outer arms of said levers, and aspring anchored at one end to. "the outer periphery of said frame memberand at its ring.-

tionary annular frame member, a group of leverspivoted on said framemember, cutter blades mounted on the inner arms of said levers andgrouped around the axis of said I frame member, a second group of leverspivand geared to the outer arms of bothsaid one end'to said framebearing studs and geared to the outer arms 1 ,of both said groups oflevers, and asprm'g connectedto said frame member and ring;

, In machine. for cutting green corn from the cob, the combination of .astagroups of levers and a spring urging said ring in va direction toswing said cutter blades and cob guiding and centering members towardthe axis of said frame member.

4. In a machine for cutting green corn from the cob, the combination ofa stationary annular frame member, a group of levels pivotedintermediate their ends on said frame member, cutter blades mounted on--the inner arms of said levers and disosed around the axis of said framememer, a second group of levers pivoted intermediate their ends onalternate ivots of said first-named levers, cob gui ing and centeringmembers on the inner arms of said second mounte on and coaxial with saidframe member and geared to the outer arms of both said groups of levers,and a spring con'-. nected to said frame member and ring and urging thelatter in a direction to swing said cutter. blades and cob guiding andcentering cup of levers, a ring revolvably members toward the axis ofsaidframe member.

. 5.In a machine for cutting green corn from the cob, the combination ofa Sta vtionary annular frame member, a group of levers pivotedintermediate their. ends. on

said frame member, cutter blades mounted on the inner .arms of saidlevers and disposed I around the axis of said frame member, a

second group of levers pivoted'on alternate pivots of said first-namedlevers, cob guiding and centering members on the inner arms of saidsecond group of levers, de tachable. bearing studs'mounted'in and pro'-''ecting from one-face of said frame mem-, r, a ring-revolvably supported.on-said said bearing studs also forming stops to "6. In a machine forcutting green corn from the cob, the combination of a stationary annularframe member, agroup of cutter blades pivotally mounted onsaid framememberand grouped around the axislimit the inward swing of said cutterblades and cob guiding and centering members.

the axis of said frame member, guide-actuat ing means urging said guidestowards the axis of said frame member, a single springactuating-bothsaid means, stops limiting the inward movement-of saidblades, and

mean'sffor rigidly'connecting said bladeactuatmg means and saidguide-actuating "means with capacity of relative positional adjustment.

7 In a machine for cutting green corn from the. cob, the combination ofan annular frame member, a group of levers pi varms of said second groupof levers, stops 10 on said frame limitin the extent of inward movementof said ilade-carrying levers, means uniting said rings to each otherwith capacity of relative adjustment around their common axis, and aspring connected to said 15 frame member and to one of said rings.

FRANK W. BURPEE.

